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Outreach programs support summer of learning on campus

Posted June 20, 2006; 12:07 p.m.

by Staff

From children's workshops to advanced scientific research, numerous outreach programs are supporting a summer of learning on the Princeton campus.

Princeton students, faculty and staff are leading a range of programs this summer for elementary, high school and college students, as well as teachers from around New Jersey and beyond. Young students will learn essential computer skills; high school science teachers will gain exposure to cutting-edge research to take back to their classrooms; and high school and college students will take courses and workshops to help them prepare for their next educational levels.

The following list offers a look at some of the University's educational outreach programs taking place this summer. Deadlines for registering for this year's programs have passed, except where noted below. Anyone interested in participating in future programs should consult the links and contacts listed below; some programs are restricted to participants from particular schools, organizations or geographic areas. Reporters interested in covering any programs should contact the Office of Communications at (609) 258-3601.

Community HouseContact: Marjorie Young, (609) 258-6136,may@princeton.eduComputer Camp, July 10-Aug. 25, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.A camp for local students in grades 6-8 emphasizes computer literacy as well as math and writing skills. A limited number of openings may remain.

Cotsen Children's LibraryContact: Dana Sheridan, (609) 258-2697,danas@princeton.eduCold Blooded Things That Slither, June 24, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.A show-and-tell program for children ages 4-12 will include a Burmese python and an American alligator.

Come Play With Stories, July 22, 10 to 11:30 a.m.This storytelling workshop will include hands-on activities for children ages 4-6.

Nature Inside Out, July 20 and Aug. 10, 11 a.m. to noonChildren ages 3-5 will take a nature walk on the Princeton campus to uncover the truth about butterflies (July 20) and trees (Aug. 10).

Cotsen Library also is sponsoring off-campus activities. More information is available on the library's Web site.

Electrical EngineeringContacts: Ron Weiss, (609) 258-1174,rweiss@princeton.edu; Ihor Lemischka, (609) 258-2838,ilemisch@princeton.eduStem Cell Synthetic Biology Summer Program, June 12-Aug. 18After a brief course in synthetic biology and stem cells, 10 undergraduates from Princeton and other institutions will tackle original projects that involve creating synthetic gene networks to program stem cells. The program is co-sponsored by the Department of Molecular Biology, the Center for Innovation in Engineering Education and the Office of the Provost.

Graduate SchoolContacts: Elaine Willey, (609) 258-3032,ewilley@princeton.edu; David Redman, (609) 258-3032,dnredman@princeton.eduPrinceton Summer Undergraduate Research Experience, June 12-Aug. 11This program is designed for undergraduates who express a serious interest in pursuing a Ph.D. and following a career in college or university teaching and research. It is intended to prepare students to make competitive applications to research doctoral programs. Undergraduates who are minorities, who are from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds or who are from liberal arts colleges are especially encouraged to apply. Students receive a stipend and a travel allowance.

Molecular BiologyMolecular Biology in the 21st Century: Applications and Dilemmas, July 9-21 Contact: Ann Sliski, (609) 258-2075,asliski@princeton.eduTwenty-six secondary school teachers from around the world will participate in an intensive two-week workshop exploring modern molecular biology. Their projects will include analyzing their own DNA, analyzing DNA in food for evidence of genetic modification, and learning a new metagenomic approach to studying the invisible world of microbes in the soil under their feet. The teachers will also learn about bioinformatics, forensics and protein modeling as well as how to use what they learn at Princeton to inspire their students.

Summer Undergraduate Research Program, June 19-Aug. 18Contact: Alison Gammie, (609) 258-6380, agammie@princeton.eduThe program includes 50 to 80 rising seniors and five to 10 rising juniors from Princeton and other colleges and universities. The students perform original laboratory research under the guidance of Princeton biologists. The program emphasizes critical, independent thinking in the laboratory and immerses students in a culture of close collaboration with faculty, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

Office of the Vice President for Campus LifeContact: Richard Just, (202) 508-4478,sjp@princeton.eduSummer Journalism Program, Aug. 9-19Princeton alumni who worked on the student newspaper, The Daily Princetonian, will lead workshops for 20 students who are entering their senior years at urban and underfunded high schools. The students, selected for their interest in journalism, will practice reporting and writing articles, including covering a professional sports event, and produce a 12-page newspaper and a television documentary. They will visit The New York Times and ABC News offices and receive advice from guest speakers from a number of major media outlets.

PhysicsContact: Helen Ju, (609) 258-5822,helenju@princeton.eduGran Sasso-Princeton Physics Summer School, July 20-Aug. 17The Department of Physics will host 43 Italian high school students from the Abruzzi and Molise regions of Italy, selected on a competitive basis, to study special relativity, quantum physics and particle physics with Princeton scientists in classes taught in Italian. The students live near the Italian National Research Laboratories, located in a tunnel under the Gran Sasso Mountain, where a group of Princeton physics professors are currently conducting research.

Princeton Environmental InstituteContact: Anne Catena, (609) 258-6615, acatena@princeton.eduSummer Institute in Environmental Science, July 10-21, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.This program offers professional development for local teachers to learn about "The Global Ocean," "Chemistry and Your Senses" and "Weather and Climate." Some 40 elementary and middle school teachers will further their understanding of environmental science and current research conducted by Princeton faculty. The institute is a collaboration of PEI, the Cooperative Institute for Climate Science, the Center for Environmental Bioinorganic Chemistry and the Center for Biocomplexity.

Research Experience for Undergraduates, June-AugustPEI is providing fellowships to eight undergraduates from across the country to work in research labs under the mentorship of faculty in the Center for Environmental Bioinorganic Chemistry.

Collaboration With Community College Faculty, May-August PEI is supporting two professors from Middlesex County Community College to work in the Center for Environmental Bioinorganic Chemistry's research labs and enhance their understanding of current environmental issues. This experience enables faculty from county colleges, where research opportunities are not available, to introduce new methodology and content into their teaching.

Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials (PRISM)Contact: Dan Steinberg, (609) 258-5598,dsteinbe@princeton.eduPrinceton University Materials Academy, July 5-28Twenty Trenton Central High School students will build their own solar ovens and learn about physics, materials science and engineering principles using low-cost materials. Guided by Professor Wole Soboyejo and students from his research group, they will participate in contests to see who can boil water the fastest and bake the best cookies with their solar ovens. They also will learn about batteries, lasers and polymers from faculty members.

At the same time, 20 Middlesex High School students will conduct lab work with faculty members associated with the Princeton Center for Complex Materials. Their work on materials science will serve as an introduction to a yearlong elective science course at their school starting in the fall that was designed by Dan Steinberg of PRISM and Pete Gange, a Middlesex teacher.

Research Experience for Undergraduates, June 12-Aug. 11About 35 undergraduate students from around the country are on campus this summer to perform cutting-edge research projects in disciplines related to materials science. The students are under the mentorship of Princeton professors and graduate students, mostly from major research projects funded by the National Science Foundation, including the Princeton Center for Complex Materials and Mid-Infrared Technologies for Health and the Environment.

Research Experience for Teachers, June-AugustFour teachers are conducting research in the laboratories of faculty at the Princeton Center for Complex Materials. They are studying, among other subjects, the materials science aspects of hydrogen fuel. They will share their experiences with their high school students and other teachers.

Princeton Plasma Physics LaboratoryContacts: Tony DeMeo, (609) 243-2755,ademeo@pppl.gov; Patti Wieser, (609) 243-2757,pwieser@pppl.govPlasma Camp, July 17-21About a dozen science teachers from local middle schools, as well as high schools across the nation, will work in the Plasma Science Education Laboratory to better understand energy and find ways to work the subject into their curricula.

Energy in the 21st Century: Solar, Fuel Cells and Fusion, July 31-Aug. 4The program offers an introduction to current energy research to about 30 students from the Bergen Academy for the Advancement of Science and Technology in Hackensack, N.J.Research Experience for Undergraduates, June 12-Aug. 18Fourteen undergraduate students from across the country, as well as eight local high school students, will spend 10 weeks working with PPPL scientists, participating in current research projects.

PPPL-Liberty Science Center Workshop for New Jersey Teachers, June 28About 12 New Jersey teachers from grades 6-12 will participate in a one-day workshop at the PPPL focusing on energy and using plasmas as a teaching tool in a physical sciences classroom. The laboratory is offering the workshop in partnership with the Liberty Science Center.

Program in Teacher PreparationPrinceton University Preparatory Program, July 1-Aug. 11Contact: Jason Klugman, (609) 258-3336, jklugman@princeton.eduThis intensive, three-year college preparation program supports academically gifted high school students from economically disadvantaged families who attend Ewing, Princeton and Trenton public schools. The goal is to prepare students to be successful candidates for selective colleges and universities. Students will take courses in art, writing, literature, math, physics, biology and college-preparation skills, while also attending a leadership retreat and taking cultural excursions.

QUEST, July 10-21, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.Contact: Anne Catena, (609) 258-2537,acatena@princeton.edu QUEST is a professional development institute for elementary and middle school teachers and undergraduates who are learning to be teachers. QUEST focuses on laboratory experiments and field experiences in science, mathematics and technology taught by Princeton faculty, staff experts and local scientists. Another program, CONNECT-ED, teams elementary, middle school and high school teachers with scientists from Princeton and Rider universities to examine how students' understanding of science and math content builds through the K-12